Universal cup

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to a universal cup or mug that is configured for use by both able-bodied individuals and upper limb amputees. The universal cup of the present disclosure includes a handle designed to enable an upper limb amputee to insert a portion of their arm (e.g., their forearm) through the handle to operate (e.g., pick up, drink from, and put down) the cup such that single arm operation of the cup is easy, efficient, and effective. The handle is configured to keep the cup stable and secure while in use (e.g., when the cup is filled with liquid, lifted off a surface, and titled to enable the user to drink) for easy operation by the user. Furthermore, the handle is also configured to enable easy use for able-bodied users. Thus, the handle of the present disclosure enables the cup to be universal in use.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/891,383, filed Aug. 25, 2019, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to cups, and more particularly,to a universal cup including a universal handle configured to enableboth able-bodied and upper limb amputee users to use the cup.

BACKGROUND

Individuals who have had a portion of one (or more) limbs amputated,such as, upper limb amputees (e.g., amputated at the hand, wrist,forearm, etc.) are often forced to resort to expensive and/or cumbersomesolutions for performing everyday tasks. For example, amputees may useprosthetics to perform everyday tasks, such as grasping an object. Whileprosthetics may aid an amputee to perform a basic task, prosthetics canbe prohibitively expensive, need replacing as an amputee's body grows,and are often slow and/or cumbersome in operation. Instead of forcingamputees to acquire expensive and complicated devices to overcome theirdisabilities, a more elegant and inclusive solution would be to designproducts that amputees may use without the need for external assistance.An even better approach is to design products that both amputees andable-bodied individuals can use without external assistance. Forexample, one of the most ubiquities devices that exists today is thestandard cup or mug for consuming liquids. Despite the ubiquity of thecup, current designs do not enable single arm operation by upper limbamputees. Therefore, a need exists for products, such as cups, that canbe used by both amputees and able-bodied individuals without the need ofusing expensive assistive devices such as prosthetics.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a universal cup or mug that isconfigured for use by both able-bodied individuals and upper limbamputees. The universal cup of the present disclosure includes a handledesigned to enable an upper limb amputee to insert a portion of theirarm (e.g., their forearm) through the handle to operate (e.g., pick up,drink from, and put down) the cup such that single arm operation of thecup is easy, efficient, and effective. The handle, which will bedescribed in greater detail below, is configured to keep the cup stableand secure while in use (e.g., when the cup is filled with liquid,lifted off a surface, and titled to enable the user to drink) for easyoperation by the user. Furthermore, the handle of the universal cup isalso configured to enable easy use for able-bodied users. Thus, thehandle of the present disclosure enables the cup to be universal in use.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cup is providedincluding a cylindrical portion including a closed end and an open endto receive a liquid; and a handle coupled to an outer wall of thecylindrical portion, the handle including a first portion, a sectionportion and a third portion, the first portion having a first endcoupled to the outer wall and a second end coupled to a first end of thesecond portion at a first predetermined angle, a second end of thesecond portion coupled to a first end of the third portion at a secondpredetermined angle and the second end of the third portion coupled tothe outer wall, wherein the first predetermined angle is greater thanthe second predetermined angle.

In one aspect, the second portion is configured at a third predeterminedangle relative to the outer wall of the cylindrical portion.

In another aspect, the third predetermined angle is in the range ofabout 30 degrees to about 45 degrees.

In a further aspect, the open end of the cylindrical portion has adiameter d and a width w of the handle is defined by the formulaw=d/2.5.

In yet another aspect, each of the first portion, second portion andthird portion of the handle have a respective thickness and thethickness of the third portion being greater than the thickness of thefirst portion and the thickness of the second portion to lower a centerof gravity of the cup.

In one aspect, the cup further incudes a gripping means coupled to theclosed end of the cylindrical portion.

In another aspect, the gripping means is at least one of circular memberand/or an annular member.

In still another aspect, the first portion of the handle includes anaperture configured to receive a thumb of a user while the handle isbeing gripped.

In another aspect, a cross section of the first portion, second portionand third portion of the handle is at least one of an oval shape and/ora rectangular shape.

In a further aspect, each of the first portion, second portion and thirdportion of the handle have a respective thickness and the thickness is ¼of the width w.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cup is providedincluding a cylindrical portion including a closed end and an open endto receive a liquid; and a handle coupled to an outer wall of thecylindrical portion, the handle including a first portion, a sectionportion and a third portion, the first portion having a first endcoupled to the outer wall and a second end coupled to a first end of thesecond portion at a first predetermined angle, a second end of thesecond portion coupled to a first end of the third portion at a secondpredetermined angle and the second end of the third portion coupled tothe outer wall, wherein the first predetermined angle is greater thanthe second predetermined angle and wherein the cylindrical portion isfoldable upon a cease formed thereon.

In one aspect, the handle of the foldable cup incudes first and secondhandles, each of the first and second handles including the firstportion, the section portion and the third portion, wherein the firstand second handles are spaced apart by a predetermined width w.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a side view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1C is another side view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1D is another perspective view of the universal cup in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1E is a bottom view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1F is a top view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1G is a front view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1H is a rear view of the universal cup in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1I illustrates a perspective view of a universal cup in accordancewith another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 1J and 1K illustrates exemplary cross sections of a handle of theuniversal cup of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 includes an in phantom, anterior view of a right forearm inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 3A-3D include various views of a foldable universal cup inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the drawing(s) are for purposes ofillustrating the concepts of the disclosure and is not necessarily theonly possible configuration for illustrating the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, well-known functions or constructions are not described indetail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any configuration or design described hereinas “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other configurations or designs. Herein, the phrase“coupled” is defined to mean directly connected to or indirectlyconnected with through one or more intermediate components.

The present disclosure is directed to a universal cup or mug that isconfigured for use by both able-bodied individuals and upper limbamputees. The universal cup of the present disclosure includes a handledesigned to enable an upper limb amputee to insert a portion of theirarm (e.g., their forearm) through the handle to operate (e.g., pick up,drink from, and put down) the cup such that single arm operation iseasy, efficient, and effective. The handle, which will be described ingreater detail below, is configured to keep the cup stable and securewhile in use (e.g., when the cup is filled with liquid, lifted off asurface, and titled to enable the user to drink) for easy operation bythe user. Furthermore, the handle of the universal cup is alsoconfigured to enable easy use for able-bodied users. Thus, the handle ofthe present disclosure enables the cup to be universal in use.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1H, a universal cup or mug 100 is shown inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Cup 100includes a liquid carrying portion 102, e.g., configured in acylindrical shape (although other geometric configurations suitable fora cup are considered within the scope of the present disclosure).Portion 102 includes a top 108 and bottom 110. Portion 102 furtherincludes an outer surface 112 and a rim or aperture 103 disposed at thetop 108, where rim 103 reveals an interior 104 for receiving a liquid.Bottom 110 of portion 102 is closed to retain a liquid or the likewithin the interior 104. Cup 100 further includes a universal handle106. Handle 106 includes portions 114, 116, 118 and defines an aperture115. Handle further includes an inner concave surface 120, which, aswill be described below has varying degrees of concavity throughoutdifferent portions or locations of surface 120.

When cup 100 is used by an upper limb amputee user, the amputee userinserts the distal most portion of their arm (e.g., the distal end oftheir forearm) through aperture 115 until the outer circumference oftheir forearm is lodged or wedged between inner surface 120 of handle106 and outer surface 112 of main portion 102. For this use case, handle106 includes several features that enable the cup to be lifted andoperated (whether filled with liquid or not) with the amputee's arm(e.g., a portion of their forearm) disposed through aperture 115 whilemaintain the cup in a stable and secure position. Each of the featuresof handle 106 will be described below.

First portion 114 and second portion 116 are disposed at a first,predetermined angle relative to each other such that at portion 122 ofinner surface 120, i.e., where portions 114 and 116 meet at the first,predetermined angle, inner surface 120 has a greater degree of concavitythan the portion of inner surface 120 between the ends of portion 116.Second portion 116 and third portion 118 are disposed at a second,predetermined angle relative to each other such that at portion 124 ofinner surface 120, i.e., where portions 116 and 118 meet at the second,predetermined angle, inner surface 120 has a greater degree of concavitythan the portion of inner surface 120 between the ends of portion 116.The respective lengths of portions 114, 116, 118 are selected such thatportions 122, 124 are each disposed at distinct predetermined distancesfrom outer surface 112, where portion 122 is disposed more proximatelyto surface 112 than portion 124. Also, as shown in FIG. 1B, portion 116extends at a predetermined angle a relative to surface 112.

To understand the features of handle 106, it is first useful tounderstand the anatomy of the forearm. Referring to FIG. 2, an inphantom, anterior view of a right forearm 200 is shown in accordancewith the present disclosure. Forearm 200 includes the radius bone 202and ulna bone 204. Forearm 200 also includes a group of extensor muscles206 and a group of flexor muscles 208. As is apparent from FIG. 2, theflexor muscles 208 are more massive than the extensor muscles 206 andthus extend a greater distance away from the ulna bone 204 than theextensor muscles 206 extend away from the radius bone 202. Also, forearm200 increases in diameter when moving from the distal end 210 to theproximal end 212 of forearm 200.

Referring again to FIG. 1B, the upper limb amputee user inserts theirforearm 200 through aperture 115 until the outer circumference of theuser's forearm is constricted between surface 120 of handle 106 andsurface 112 or portion 102. Concave portion 122 of surface 120 isconfigured and shaped to receive a portion of forearm 200 that isproximate to the radius bone 202 and concave portion 124 of surface 120is configured and shaped to receive a portion of forearm 200 that isproximate to the ulna bone 204. Since the distance from surface 112 toconcave portion 124 is greater than the distance from surface 112 toportion 122, the protruding flexor muscles 208 have enough space toextend into the space defined by portion 118 and surface 112 and theanterior surface of forearm 200 is disposed adjacent to surface 112.While the user's forearm 200 is disposed through aperture 115 in themanner described above, the inner contours of surface 120 grip theuser's forearm 200 to hold the cup 100 in a balanced position such thatthe cup 100 cannot rotate and is controlled by the user's control oftheir forearm 200.

Angle a (shown in FIG. 1B) is selected to be at a third, predeterminedangle (e.g., approximately between about 30 degrees and about 45degrees) relative to surface 112, such that user's forearm 200, whiledisposed through aperture 115, is pronated in a neutral position thatenables the user to hold the cup 100 with axis 150 perpendicular to alevel floor with minimum effort. Furthermore, the angle a is selectedsuch that, as gravity acts on the cup 100 and the cup 100 is urged torotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1B and indicated by the letterb, the radius bone 202 disposed in concave portion 122 and the anteriorsurface of forearm 200 disposed against surface 112 enable a user toprevent the rotation of the cup 100 by simply preventing their forearm200 from being rotated.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 1E, 1F, handle 106 is configured with apredetermined width w. Predetermined width w is selected such that whenan amputee's forearm is disposed through aperture 115 of handle 106, cup100 does not wobble or otherwise move in an instable way with respect tolongitudinal axis 150. In one embodiment, width w is selected to bewithin a predetermined ratio of the diameter d of rim 103 (e.g., atleast 2.5 (diameter of rim 103):1 (width w)) selected to ensure thestability of the cup 100. In other words, in one embodiment, the widthof the handle 106 may be defined by the following formula: w=d/2.5,where d is the diameter of rim 103; however, other ratios and widths arecontemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. It is tobe appreciated that width of the handle is so configured to providegreater grip control for an average hand while providing sufficientsurface area on the inner surface of the handle to ensure stability whencontacting a portion of a limb of an amputee.

It is to be appreciated that, when used by an able-bodied user (i.e.,having a full anatomical arm), the angle a with which portion 116 ofhandle 106 extends enables the rotational force (illustrated by arrow b)experienced by the cup 100 due to gravity to be applied exclusively tothe user's palm and easily counteracted by holding the user's wriststeady (i.e., preventing rotation) to hold the cup in a stable position.This is in contrast to conventional designs, which would require theuser to place one or more fingers below end 110 of cup 100 (or at thevery least beneath portion 118 of handle 106) to maintain cup 100 in astable position. It is also to be appreciated that, when used by elderuser's or user's having a disability (e.g., Parkinson's, etc.) otherthan an amputation of one or both of their arms, the features of handle106 enable easier use than conventional designs of cups. It is furtherto be appreciated that the wide handle will prevent rotating or slippingin all three directions.

In one embodiment, a change in profile section of handle 106 may beprovided to lower the center of mass of the cup for better balance. Forexample, in one embodiment, lower portion 118 may have a largerthickness t, as compared to the thickness of portions 114 and 116,making the bottom portion of the cup heavier and thus more stable bylowering the center of gravity of the cup. In another embodiment,portion 118 may have the same thicknesses as portions 114 and 116 but isweighted to lower the center of gravity.

It is to be appreciated that cup 100 is configured to be used for bothleft handed and right handed operation. Furthermore, the ends of handle106 are shown terminating proximately to top 108 and bottom 110 ofportion 102, respectively, in other embodiments, top 108 may extend pastportion 114 of handle 106 and bottom 110 may extend past portion 118 ofhandle 106.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a gripping means (e.g., arubber gasket, an O-ring, a rubber disk, a suction cup, or any otherappropriate gripping material or object) may be coupled to bottom 110.The gripping means may provide appropriate grip or friction relative toa surface (e.g., a table top) that cup 100 is placed on, such that, whenan amputee attempts to insert their forearm through aperture 115 ofhandle 106, cup 100 does not rotate or otherwise move relative to thesurface that cup 100 is placed on. It is to be appreciated that thegripping means may be a flat circular member having substantially thesame diameter as the bottom 110 of the cup 100, a flat circular memberhaving a smaller or larger diameter as the bottom 110 of the cup 100 oran annular member. It is to be appreciated that gripping means of othershapes and diameters are contemplated to be within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In another embodiment, the upper portion 114 of handle 106 may includean aperture 130, as shown in FIG. 1I. The aperture 130 is configured toreceive at least a portion of a thumb of a user when the user isgripping the handle 106. In this manner, the aperture 130 enables theuser to have a more stable grip on the cup.

It is further to be appreciated that the handle 106 may be configured invarious shapes and thicknesses. Referring to FIG. 1J, a cross section,taken along line C-C, of handle 106 shown in FIG. 1I is illustrated. Inthis embodiment, the cross section of handle 106 is oval-shaped. Theoval-shaped thickness of handle 106 facilitates gripping by smallerhands. Additionally, the oval-shaped thickness facilitates mold releasein production of the cup. However, other configurations are contemplatedto be within the scope of the present disclosure, for example, FIG. 1Killustrates a rectangular shaped cross section of handle 106.

In certain embodiments, the thickness t of handle 106 may beproportional to the width w of the handle. For example, in oneembodiment, thickness t is ¼ of the width w of handle 106. Otherthicknesses and ratios of the handle are contemplated to be within thescope of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, universal cup may be configured to be foldable. Forexample, referring to FIG. 3A, a cup 300 is shown including twouniversal handles 306A, 306B. It is to be appreciated that handles 306A,306B include the same features as handle 106 (e.g., same proportions,ratios, and shapes) described above, except, handles 306 are configuredto be substantially planar when viewed from the top (as shown in FIGS.3B-3D). Cup 300 may be made of a pliable material, such as, recyclablepaper, to enable cup 300 to fold. Referring to FIG. 3B, while in anunfolded position, handles 306A, 306B are disposed the predeterminedwidth w apart to provide the same stability described above with respectto handle 106. Main portion 302 of cup 300 is foldable about a crease350, such that, as shown in the progression from FIGS. 3B-3D, cup 300may be folded in half to a substantially planar or flat shape in thefolded position. In this way, cup 300 may be more portable while in thefolded position, while still providing the benefits described above withrespect to cup 100 for able-bodied and upper limb amputees alike.

It is to be appreciated that the various features shown and describedare interchangeable, that is a feature shown in one embodiment may beincorporated into another embodiment.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tocertain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

Furthermore, although the foregoing text sets forth a detaileddescription of numerous embodiments, it should be understood that thelegal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims setforth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to beconstrued as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternateembodiments, using either current technology or technology developedafter the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within thescope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘ ______’ ishereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intentto limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element isdefined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recitalof any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim elementbe interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixthparagraph.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cup comprising: a cylindrical portion includinga closed end and an open end to receive a liquid; and a handle coupledto an outer wall of the cylindrical portion, the handle including afirst portion, a section portion and a third portion, the first portionhaving a first end coupled to the outer wall and a second end coupled toa first end of the second portion at a first predetermined angle, asecond end of the second portion coupled to a first end of the thirdportion at a second predetermined angle and the second end of the thirdportion coupled to the outer wall, wherein the first predetermined angleis greater than the second predetermined angle.
 2. The cup of claim 1,wherein the second portion is configured at a third predetermined anglerelative to the outer wall of the cylindrical portion.
 3. The cup ofclaim 2, wherein the third predetermined angle is in the range of about30 degrees to about 45 degrees.
 4. The cup of claim 3, wherein the openend of the cylindrical portion has a diameter d and a width w of thehandle is defined by the formula w=d/2.5.
 5. The cup of claim 1, whereinthe open end of the cylindrical portion has a diameter d and a width wof the handle is defined by the formula w=d/2.5.
 6. The cup of claim 4,wherein each of the first portion, second portion and third portion ofthe handle have a respective thickness and the thickness of the thirdportion being greater than the thickness of the first portion and thethickness of the second portion to lower a center of gravity of the cup.7. The cup of claim 1, wherein each of the first portion, second portionand third portion of the handle have a respective thickness and thethickness of the third portion being greater than the thickness of thefirst portion and the thickness of the second portion to lower a centerof gravity of the cup.
 8. The cup of claim 1, further comprising agripping means coupled to the closed end of the cylindrical portion. 9.The cup of claim 8, wherein the gripping means is at least one ofcircular member and/or an annular member.
 10. The cup of claim 1,wherein the first portion of the handle includes an aperture configuredto receive a thumb of a user while the handle is being gripped.
 11. Thecup of claim 1, wherein a cross section of the first portion, secondportion and third portion of the handle is at least one of an oval shapeand/or a rectangular shape.
 12. The cup of claim 4, wherein each of thefirst portion, second portion and third portion of the handle have arespective thickness and the thickness is ¼ of the width w.
 13. The cupof claim 1, wherein the cylindrical portion is foldable upon a ceaseformed thereon.
 14. The cup of claim 13, wherein the handle comprisesfirst and second handles, each of the first and second handles includingthe first portion, the section portion and the third portion.
 15. Thecup of claim 14, wherein the first and second handles are spaced apartby a predetermined width w.
 16. The cup of claim 15, wherein the openend of the cylindrical portion has a diameter d and the predeterminedwidth w is defined by the formula w=d/2.5.